Lovely Rust
by grayskiesatdawn
Summary: He doesn't always say what he feels, but that doesn't mean he feels any less. Being a father is hard. Takes place late Aug-early Jan. Canon/slightly AU. 3rd Place Best Canon/AU One-shot Popular Vote in the Twilight of Craigslist Contest.


**Lovely Rust**

_Dedicated to Dads everywhere._

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**Looking for someone to love an old, rusty 1953 Chevy pickup truck**

Date 08-26-2006

Reply to: chiefswan . craigslist . org

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As stated this is a '53 Chevy, manual transmission, with several hundred thousand miles. Was rebuilt recently, but no longer runs. The paint job isn't great and its top speed rarely exceeds 55 mph. It used to be my daughter's, but she got married recently and doesn't need it anymore. She drives something much flashier these days.

It was rebuilt about a year or so ago by a friend of mine's son, but he's not interested in fixing it up anymore. I'm sure it won't take much to fix her up and it will make someone a fine truck. I hate to see it wasting away in my driveway when I'm sure someone out there would love to have it. My daughter used to love it too.

Asking price is a negotiable $400. Give her a good home and take care of her.

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He really should have asked before posting the ad online. She might have wanted to keep it. Oh, who was he kidding? He set his coffee mug down on the Formica with a dull ting. She'd be out of her mind, wanting to keep that old hunk of rust. Sure, she hadn't looked entirely pleased, tooling around in the sleek Mercedes she drove in the weeks after her engagement, before the hurried wedding. Edward would probably get her something different. That bothered him. Edward could get Bella anything she wanted, things she didn't even know she wanted, and Charlie, well, he could only give her so much. Had it ever been enough?

It was silly, really, keeping a broken down truck in front of his house. He called Billy to see if maybe Jake wanted it back. Things were a little tense in the Black household, with Rachel back from college and having a nearly live-in boyfriend, that nobody but her seemed to like. Billy said Jake wasn't even around enough to get a decent night's sleep. A rusty truck was the last thing they needed.

Somebody would want it. There probably wasn't much wrong with it, just a loose wire or a missing piece, something more than his know-how knew how to fix. Bella wouldn't mind. She'd be happy if it made someone else happy. That was how she worked. It was how he worked too. He imagined it would be some teenage kid who'd reply to the ad. Maybe someone like Jake, who had a real love for fixing things. Somebody who could appreciate the long ago times when vehicles were made of solid steel and chrome, not fragile fiberglass and tiny electronics. Someone who didn't mind a little rust and moving a little slower than the rest of the world.

He slipped on his coat and went out the door to his cruiser, giving the idle truck one more glance. Well, maybe it didn't have to go until Bella got back from her honeymoon. It had been parked there for a month already, a few more days wouldn't hurt. She might like to say goodbye before he sold the Chevy. Girls were sentimental about those kinds of things. It was her first car after all. Charlie smiled, glad he was able to give her a first something when he'd missed out on so many other firsts. Her first smile, first steps, first day of school, those belonged to Renee.

Yeah, he'd wait. If anybody contacted him, he'd just say he was busy.

As it turned out, he was busy. Extremely busy, worrying about Bella. Four days ago, he got a call from Carlisle, telling him Bella was under quarantine. She contracted some strange illness, a potentially fatal one, while on her honeymoon. The undercurrent of bleak concern in Carlisle's calm voice weighed heavily against his heart. He fought against the reality that his daughter might die, wouldn't allow the thought to slowly creep into his mind.

When he got to talk to her, which wasn't all that often, his heart swelled with hope, only to have it plummet back to his feet like a lame bird. She said she was fine. He really hated that word. She had said it so often when she was anything but fine. Why couldn't she say she was hurt or scared? He smiled weakly because he wouldn't admit it either. She really was too much like him for her own good. It made him sick every time he heard her faint, rasping voice. She was fading right out of his picture. And he was powerless to stop it.

What he hated more at the moment, because the object he railed against changed frequently, was Edward. He brought Bella nothing but pain since he inserted himself in her life. He broke her months ago, when he left suddenly. Now she was sick, dying actually, all because she loved this boy, loved him beyond reason. He hoped that boy had a daughter of his own some day. He'd get to experience, firsthand, the agony of being helpless that Charlie felt now. Oh God! Edward wouldn't have that "some day daughter," not with Bella anyway, not if she died. He'd never get to feel the fear, the protectiveness, the joy of having a child. And now Charlie's silent war carried on to the unknown illness, stealing his daughter's life. He pounded the wall beside the phone in the kitchen, denting the drywall and paint.

He hated this part too. Calling Renee and keeping her updated on Bella's condition was one of the low points of his day. It ranked right beside being told he couldn't see his daughter and hearing his daughter tell him she was getting better every day when he knew she was only getting worse, probably by the second.

Renee never said it, but he heard it in her voice anyway. She blamed him for Bella being sick. He understood; he blamed a lot of people, unnecessarily, for Bella being sick too. But with Renee, the blame went further back. As much as he wanted to fault her, he couldn't. Still, he hated the way her voice would catch, forcing back the words, leaving them unsaid, before sighing into the phone. What hurt him the most, though, was maybe Renee was right. If he tried a little harder, maybe Bella would have been be all right and heading off to college, instead of dying in the arms of her not even twenty-something husband.

It was in these dark moments that he'd catch sight of the red truck sitting stoically in front of his house. He wasn't going to sell it. How could he? He started to see that lovely rust as part of his daughter. Sure, it wasn't sensible but what did he have to hang onto if she never made it through this illness? He had pictures and a few items left in her old room but nothing that was distinctly hers. If he let it go now, he might as well give up on her. He wasn't going to part with either of them. It wasn't an option.

He'd take the ad down as soon as he could figure out how. He was pretty proud of himself, listing the ad on his own. His skills with a computer were less than half as good as his fishing skills, so placing an ad and setting up an email account successfully was nothing short of a miracle.

Sue would know how to take it down. She'd been coming over fairly frequently, bringing him food, making sure he was dealing with things all right. At first, he wished she didn't bother. She had better things to do. She had her own kids and they needed her since Harry was dead. He had gotten used to her company; her visits were a fleeting glimpse of sun through the clouds. It was almost perfect. The only thing marring it was the fact his daughter was lying on threshold between this world and the next, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it, except hold on to her and that truck.

So that's what he did. He held on until one day in September. He'd never forget this particular day. Yesterday was Bella's birthday and for all he knew, it might have been her last. There was something unfair about the fact, a child leaving this world before their parents, but if he were on the other side of the fence, he didn't think leaving her would be any fairer. Either way, he'd never see her children, never see if she really was happy with Edward, never see where her future took her. It didn't matter who died, death was always unfair.

Charlie stared at the phone on the wall, a mug of coffee sitting before him, the steam languidly swirling off the top and dissipating. Should he call or should he wait for Carlisle or Esme to call ? He had to know if she made it, just one more day. He willed the phone to ring and was slightly shocked at the noise, not of the phone ringing but of a knock at the door. In his line of work, a knock at the door was the worst sign. No good came from an authoritative knock on the door, so he didn't move. Carlisle would have had enough time to travel from Atlanta to bear the news, if yesterday was her last day. The knocking stopped and the door swung open.

When you expected Carlisle Cullen to burst through your door, but Jacob Black had forced his way into your kitchen instead, the word shocked might have been an adequate description. When Jacob Black asked to take a walk with you, confused became a much better description.

Charlie stood still, processing Jake's words. He only caught about half of them but he caught the important ones. Bella was back. Bella was okay. Those words, coupled with Jake's odd mixture of enthusiasm and impatience, propelled him out the door, only to be directed into the woods by Jake's warm hand.

There were things in this world Charlie Swan didn't want to know about. He was capable of avoiding those things for the most part. He had successfully avoided all contact with feminine hygiene products and blocked from memory all identities of any 'parkers' and their parts he caught, unless of course they were repeat offenders. Finding out the son of one of his friends liked to strip down and turn into a huge wolf was definitely one of those things Charlie did not want to know about. Ever.

After he calmed down from his initial shock, Jake's words sunk in, easing his mind, somewhat. Bella was fine and had recovered from her illness but was a little different because of it. Jake didn't say how different, though. That worried him a little, so long as she didn't turn into a giant wolf. Jake assured him that wasn't the case before he started off on a speech about wolves, his type of wolf. Charlie cut the speech short. He didn't want to know, really, and he needed to see Bella, see how much his daughter had changed.

He wasn't even shocked to hear he was going to be a grandpa to an adopted niece of Edward's. It seemed being a married Cullen also meant adopting children very early. He really should have been upset by the news but after the past few weeks he'd been having, nearly lamenting that he would never get to see his daughter's children, being a grandfather was nothing short of wonderful, even without Jake extolling the virtues of this special child.

Charlie knew he was breaking the speed limit. He didn't care. Nothing was stopping him from seeing his daughter anymore. He took a moment, steeling himself for what he might find when he entered the Cullen house. He had to be ready. Seeing her there, on the couch, made him freeze. This couldn't be real. When she spoke, he knew this wasn't the truth. He had been hoping for so much, for so long, he was delusional. She looked an awful lot like Bella, but whoever this woman on the couch was, she didn't sound like Bella.

Eventually, he was reassured. This was his Bella, for better or worse, normal or slightly beyond normal. The acceptance he shored up in his mind tore from the moorings when he gazed into the large, brown eyes of the baby. Those eyes were the ghost of Bella's and the mirror of his own. He knew, somehow, this child was Bella and Edward's "some day child," coming someday a whole lot sooner than he had ever expected. Well, he was getting his wish. Edward would know how he'd felt recently with a daughter of his own to test his worth.

Much later, when he got to hold the impossible child with the cute but cumbersome name, his heart melted. It didn't matter anymore what his daughter may or may not be, she was still his daughter and he still loved her very much. Nothing was going to change that fact, nothing at all. He loved his daughter and his new granddaughter no matter what. Someday he might care for the rest of his newly extended family, but the verdict was still out on Edward.

Walking passed the old truck that night, he was glad he still hadn't found the time to remove the ad. It wasn't the best sort of vehicle to travel around with a growing child. She didn't need it anymore. The money would be great to put away in a college fund for the little one. He was sure the Cullens already had one started, but Grandpa Charlie would like to be able contribute too. He liked the sound of that, Grandpa Charlie. He patted the side of the old, rusty truck and went inside.

September slipped away into November and the truck still sat in front of Charlie Swan's house. No one ever contacted him about buying it. He didn't have a lot of free time to remove the ad. Every chance he got, he spent his free time visiting with Bella and his granddaughter. The truck was part of his scenery. It was always there and he rarely noticed it now that Bella was well.

He wasn't as troubled by the changes in his daughter or her new family. They were still decent people and they doted on Nessie, especially Alice and Rosalie. It was a good thing Alice loved shopping. Nessie grew very fast, changing nearly every day. He would sometimes see hints of longing in Bella's eyes when she looked at her ever changing daughter. Charlie was pretty sure he had the same look in his eyes every time Bella visited him briefly when she was younger. It was hard, watching your child grow up so fast before your eyes. He knew all too well, still knew in fact.

Sue would come with him for some of these visits. He told her she didn't have to go with him; she never seemed very happy around the Cullens, but she came with him and he really liked her being there. Her son and daughter were often at the Cullen house, along with Jake. Charlie found it odd, seeing how most of the residents of La Push viewed the Cullens with a hearty distrust. He wanted to question this change of heart but figured he really didn't want to know. It probably didn't matter anyway.

November descended into December, cold and somber, promising snow, maybe in time for Christmas. Charlie finally felt his life was back to normal. He went to work and either talked to Bella or saw her after his shift was done. Sue came over for dinner, if her kids weren't around, or he went over to her place. Everything was fine. Everything was great, on his end anyway.

There were tensions in the air, though. Something wasn't quite right in the Cullen household. Bella put on a brave face whenever he asked. He heard the strain in her voice. Eventually, she asked him not to come over, said the Cullens had a few out-of-town guests over and space was at a premium. He knew better than to ask. Bella was a grown woman now and if something was wrong, she could work it out.

Then there was Billy Black. His closest friend of over thirty years hadn't spoken to him in two weeks. Billy had stopped showing up at Sue's for dinner after Thanksgiving. Charlie knew it had to do with how much time he and Sue spent around the Cullens. Of course Billy denied it, at first. They had come to blows two days later, watching college football at Billy's place. Billy had said something about how could Sue and him handle being around the Cullens so much, knowing what they were. Charlie didn't like Billy's tone in regard to the Cullens; his daughter was a Cullen now and that constituted a personal attack against Bella. Charlie left without a word.

It wasn't the first time him and Billy got into it over the Cullens. Charlie suspected it had more to do with Billy being jealous. Jake spent a lot of time at the Cullens too. He could understand Billy being upset about that, he had been a little jealous of the Cullens as well, but dammit, his daughter was part of the family. Billy had no right to talk like that.

It was a little bit later when Charlie figured out the non-fight fight had been mostly about Sue and not the Cullens. He didn't understand; it wasn't like Sue was dating him. So why was Billy upset? Wait, come to think of it, it did look a lot like him and Sue were dating. Were they? He did enjoy it when she came over. It was kind of like hanging out with a friend. He didn't think about her in _that way_, not that she wasn't attractive because she was very beautiful. No, nothing was going on with Sue. They were just friends. Billy could relax, well after he got over the fact that he was still going to be friendly with the Cullens, no matter what Billy said.

When Sue convinced him later on to have Christmas at his place, he didn't think anything of it. He even went and found his old Christmas decorations. Last year, Bella was so distant he didn't even bother; he hadn't bothered with decorations since Renee left.

For the first time in eighteen years, the Christmas spirit warmed his home or rather, as he noted after the celebration, crowded his home. With Sue's kids, Jake and Sam and Emily too, there wasn't much room left. It was really special. It was Nessie's first Christmas. She was the sweetest granddaughter on Earth, well, he might have been a little prejudiced. Edward was looking like the world's best son-in-law. Charlie was thrilled when he unwrapped some high tech fishing gear. He hadn't realized Edward paid attention to his new father-in-law's favorite hobby. Maybe Edward wasn't so bad after all.

As one of the happiest days of his life drew to a close, it got even better. He had pretended not to be affected when Sue clutched his hand while they watched Jake and Seth put leftover bows in Nessie's hair. He couldn't pretend anymore when Sue kissed him softly on the lips as she walked out the door later that night. He was grinning so hard his face hurt. He watched her leave, still smiling and completely oblivious to the cold air spilling through the open door. It was a great day.

It was New Year's Eve, when the long promised snow arrived and finally stuck to every surface. The snow hung heavy and wet in the trees, disaster waiting for the power lines as Charlie shoveled the walk. He figured he better head into work early, given the weather and the celebratory nature of this particular holiday. Bad weather and drunk drivers never mixed. His sight fell on the old truck, the red rust covered in a cloak of white. His lips pressed together. He was attached to it now; he'd miss it when it was gone. Maybe he'd just have it fixed up for himself. Jake would probably have time now. He took a couple of minutes to push the wet, white coating off of it, knowing in a few minutes it would be covered again. Yeah, he'd keep it.

January came in darkness. A storm knocked the power out in Forks. When Charlie finally got home almost thirty-six hours later, he barely even registered the note taped to his door. Someone wanted to buy the truck. Whoever it was, would be there tomorrow. His eyebrow ticked up a little. He hadn't put his address in the ad, had he? His memory was a bit foggy. So much had happened since he placed the ad. He'd deal with it tomorrow.

"You're the one who wants the truck?"

"Yes. I'd like to keep with tradition. I want it to be my daughter's first car too."

"Isn't Nessie a little young yet?"

"Right now she is, but it will be around when she's ready, probably sooner than I'm prepared. She's growing up so fast."

"Yeah, kids do that. You blink and then they're grown. It doesn't run. You could get her something better."

"I know. I brought some parts with me to get it running. I'm sure Rose will want to check it over more. Jake will probably look at it too."

"Rosalie is good with cars?"

"Very good. Would you like her to go over your cruiser? No one will out run you."

"Sounds nice, but I don't think I'd need it much around here, not a lot of high speed chases. I'd rather Nessie not be traveling around so fast either. That was the whole point of me buying this truck for Bella."

"Don't worry, she won't be. I'll make sure of it. No daughter of mine is going to break the speed limit until she's thirty."

"Take good care of her."

"I always will."

Edward was a good man. He loved his wife and daughter. And he had good taste in cars. Charlie gave the truck one last pat as Edward started the engine. It was time to let her go. She had an excellent life ahead of her. She was in good hands.

And so the truck had a new home. It would be loved. When something was loved, it was never forgotten. Sure it was old and broken but that lovely rust gleamed bright and glossy with a father's love, and a daughter's heart. Always would too.

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**A/N:** Now I can thank the two lovely ladies whom helped make this story a little closer to perfect: maxipoo1024, of Sparkly Red Pen, and roswell1828, friend. Yes, this story placed 3rd in the Twilight of Craigslist one-shot contest for best AU/Canon and quite some time ago too. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't post it to my profile sooner, but this weekend seemed the perfect time to do it. Because it's more than a story about a rusty old truck...


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